July 2023 Book Recommendation: Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik

There is something about looking at summer night skies that makes me prone to wondering and wanting to read science fiction! I remember back to camping when our children were young and staying a regional campground out in the middle of nowhere beside a small lake with very little light pollution. The sky at night was stunning. So much happening up there, which always make a person wonder…

Published: February, 2022

Categories: Romance / Action/Adventure / Science Fiction / Space Opera

Blurb:

Octavia Zarola would do anything to keep her tiny, close-knit bounty hunting crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran Fletcher, a ruthless former general and bitter adversary. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows that she can’t refuse—no matter how much she’d like to.

There’s just one catch: with so much money on the line, Torran and his crew insist on joining the hunt. Tavi reluctantly agrees because while the handsome, stoic leader pushes all of her buttons—for both anger and desire—she’s endured worse, and the massive bonus payment he’s promised for a completed job is reason enough to shut up and deal.

But when they uncover a deeper plot that threatens the delicate peace between humans and Valoffs, Tavi suspects that Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew balanced on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie—with the quiet Valoff who’s been lying to her, or with the human leaders who left her squad to die on the battlefield. Because this time, her heart is on the line.

Thoughts:

If you loved the show Firefly, definitely dating myself here, you’ll love Hunt the Stars. This story is the kind of enemies to lovers story I love. They’re on opposite sides but mutual respect is present in any and all types of communication. Being enemies doesn’t mean the two main characters have to be antagonistic towards each other all the time. I mean, it can! And those stories are great too. But when they respect each other’s abilities and put the job first and actually act like adults to get the job done, then that’s my catnip. My other catnip is badass heroines who are kind and nurturing. They know how to win a fight and then some, but they’re good at other things too. You don’t have to chip away forty layers of pent up hostility to find out they have a heart.

And then there was the world building. It pulled me right in and gave me a complete picture of what the world looked like for this story. So many much needed details about how everything functions. I could picture it perfectly.

There’s plenty of action/adventure, lots of steamy romance, and centers around another of my other favourite tropes – close proximity. It’s clever and it’s entertaining and I definitely recommend it.

Until next time…

What’s everyone else reading?